Lee Tockar makes silly noises into microphones
Lee Tockar
I LOVED it. I love that face-to-face aspect you don’t get from taping at home. I learned a lot on the night I went in. Also the roster talks enable us as voice actors to just feel good and to inspire and connect, I personally felt refreshed and inspired to find more voices after just one talk. The tips we learn from each other were invaluable and I look forward to attending more! Thanks for putting them on. Beyond teaching and learning which is a gift in itself, they give us more confidence and a sense of camaraderie you can’t really find anywhere else. – Alisson
LEE TOCKAR told the story of his journey from wishing to wanting to working as a successful animation voice actor at the April 28th Characters’ Voice Roster Talks event. He spoke about the progress from training to being trained, and from basics to brand in his quarter-century career of making silly noises into microphones.
Lee shared tips and a great amount of enthusiasm for developing multiple voices, identifying the subtext of script, creating fun ways to expand one’s tool kit and repertoire, as well as the importance of building a home studio option that will allow voice talent to send out quality, competitive auditions by mp3 – from the comfort of your pyjamas.
Thanks again Lee, for sharing your learning and laughs with the Characters voice family!
Emmy nominated voice actor, Lee Tockar has lent his voice to hundreds of well-loved animated characters in over seven thousand episodes of animation and animated movies, and video games.
Lee is currently featured as Mim Mim in “Kate & Mim Mim”, Snips and Steven Magnet in “My Little Pony”, Gull in “Endangered Species”, Darth Maul in “The Yoda Chronicles”, and Frieza in Dragon Ball Kai”. Other titles include “Pirate Express”, “The Deep”, “Ratchet & Clank” (the movie), “Open Season” (the movie), King Kong in Netflix’s “King Kong”, “Beast Wars”, “Fantastic Four”, “The Incredible Hulk”, “Iron Man” and the maniacal Dr. Frogg in “League of Super Evil”.
Fluent in animal, creature, monster and several forms of gibberish, Lee is widely regarded as the Frank Welker of Canada. When asked to comment, Mr. Welker cheerfully said, “Sorry, Lee-who?” Lee is the 2008 ELAN Male Voice-Over Artist of the Year winner for his performance of George in “George of the Jungle”. The award was presented by Seth MacFarlane. He was honoured with a 2013 Emmy nomination for his performance of Pronto in “Slugterra,” a performance that also achieved the 2012 UBCP/ACTRA award for Best Voice Artist of the Year and the 2013 Leo award for Outstanding Performance in an Animated Series.
Lee has written, directed, cast, designed, contributed sound design, and taught animation throughout his 25+ years in the industry. Cartoons quite literally are… his life.
Characters’ Voice Roster Talks is an initiative to encourage community at a time when a great deal of voice casting is done by mp3/self-tape, and actors don’t bump into each other as often at auditions. It’s a chance for those who have been doing this for a long time to soak up the energy of those who are getting started… and an opportunity for those who are getting started to connect with each other and with this industry that’s at once all around them and just outside of their grasp.
The Talks encourage thought and discussion about the Big Picture in this industry. The Talks are a chance for Caroline and Annie to see, hear, and connect with their clients. The Talks aim to Educate, Motivate and Stimulate.
